Mateusz Kowalski - NOSPR

Grammy-nominated guitarist, is one of the most outstanding guitarists, touted by Classical Guitar Magazine as a "spectacular" musician who performs a vast repertoire ranging from the renaissance to contemporary works with remarkable expertise, stylistic sensitivity, and great musical culture. He has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls around the world, including the Musikverein in Vienna and the Shanghai Grand Theatre, captivating audiences in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and London. His performances have been heard in over 20 countries. Kowalski gained recognition for the first-ever live performance of Fryderyk Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor arranged for guitar and orchestra. The premiere took place during the "Chopin and His Europe" festival in 2023 with {Oh!} Orchestra conducted by Martyna Pastuszka. He is the winner of prestigious competitions, including the 1st Bach Guitar Award in Darmstadt - one of the most prestigious guitar competitions in the world, dedicated to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach - and the 2nd EuroStrings International Competition in London - a contest open only to the winners of the most significant European guitar competitions.

Kowalski has already released several albums, both as a soloist and chamber musician. The most notable of these - "Polish Romantic Guitar" was premiered in 2021. These recordings were produced in collaboration with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. This project significantly contributed to the popularization of the works of Bobrowicz, Horecki, Szczepanowski, and Sokołowski, of which Kowalski is a passionate advocate.

The artist collaborates with many distinguished musicians such as Martyna Pastuszka, Vaclav Luks, David Garrett, Marek Pasieczny, and Tomasz Radziszewski.

Mateusz Kowalski was born in 1995 in Koszalin, Poland. He began learning to play the guitar at the age of 7 and studied for the next 12 years under the guidance of Dariusz Schmidt at the Grażyna Bacewicz State Music School Complex in Koszalin. He later graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in the class of Ryszard Bałauszko, receiving the Magna cum Laude medal. He has honed his skills in numerous masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Sergio Assad, Oscar Ghiglia, and Alvaro Pierri. One of the most important ones remains the Konzertexamen in Darmstadt under Tilman Hoppstock.

Alongside his solo career, Kowalski is also active in education, giving masterclasses at festivals around the world.

Since October 2019, he has been a lecturer at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.

The artist performs on both traditional and modern instruments, including those by Jorge Godoy (Martinez) and Philip Woodfield-Oliver Moore. He uses Augustine strings.